All times locations and events are subject to change without notice.
Due to Covid-19 we are not sure what will be planned for Durant Days in 2020. Please check back.
Durant Days celebrates the birth of Great Camps Architecture
TENTATIVE Schedule of Events * Subject to change without notice!
Durant Days July 31 – August 2, Raquette Lake, NY
Durant Days celebrates the birth of Great Camps Architecture. Enjoy a special weekend of events in Raquette Lake. Harken back to the days when waterways were the highways and travel was by boat! And you can’t get there by car. Access to these Great Camps, Historic Landmarks and churches only available on is limited to a few times a season so don’t miss out on your exclusive chance to explore them all in one jam-packed weekend!
William West Durant left his mark permanently on the Adirondacks as a master designer and builder crafting impressive architectural masterpieces. Durant envisioned grandiose getaway homes and self-contained villages in the middle of the Adirondack wilderness. Through his revolutionary vision he was able to combine the architectural features of a traditional log cabin merged seamlessly with the long low lines of the graceful Swiss chalet to create a luxurious summer residence. From his first grand camp, Camp Pine Knot, sprang a distinctive school forever known as Great Camps Architecture and Raquette Lake is the place where it was born.
These grand camps of the wealthy in the Adirondacks attracted railroad titans, industrialists, admiring journalists and international guests to enjoy the wilds of the forest with the softer comforts of elegance and grace and touted as “the show places of the woods.”
Join us in Raquette Lake, NY the first weekend in August to transport yourself back to the Gilded Age and imagine yourself enjoying the opulence of the Adirondacks as a railroad titan. History buffs will be transported back in time.
Schedule of Events for Durant Days
Friday, July 31, 2020 ** Call ahead to confirm
Luncheon Boat Cruise exploring the 100 miles of shoreline of Raquette Lake with historic stops built and crafted by William West Durant. Stops at Great Camps and special Historic Landmark buildings crafted by WWD including the first original Great Camp, Camp Pine Knot, and Saint Williams Long Point listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and the original village of Durant, NY. www.raquettelakenavigation.com
Saturday August 1, 2020
6pm Boat Parade** Check in advance! In the village. Boats all shapes and sizes compete. Runabouts, no-octane, party barges, if it floats, it’s a boat! Decorate boats and compete for prizes for Best Most Creative Boat in each boat class. The more the merrier! Everyone invited to play. On vacation? Be adventurous, rent a boat at Burke’s or Birds Marina’s and show us what you’ve got. Celebrate life on the waterways during the indefatigable Raquette Lake Boat Parade.
9:30pm Fireworks A special weekend celebration continues with a Fireworks show celebrating all that is Raquette Lake. With so much history and legacy on the shores of Raquette Lake, launching fireworks is the culmination and celebration of the storied legacy of American history launched right from the shores of this small, tight-knit, historic community. Fireworks can be seen by boat from the village.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
3:00 pm Annual ecumenical vespers service at Church of the Good Shepherd, on Raquette Lake.** Check for 2020 to confirm. Saint Huberts, built by William West Durant in 1880 was built to serve the owners, guests and employees that Durant was creating in the area. The island was originally named Bluff Island, but was later renamed in honor of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters.
All events on St. Hubert’s Isle are free and open to the public. There will be a free water taxi 2pm – 2:45pm to/from St. Hubert’s Isle from the village dock, courtesy Burke’s Marina.
RLN returns $12 of every admission to Camp Pine Knot. Pine Knot is not usually open to the public. This is a special arrangement made available specifically for Durant Days. A donation is also made to St. Williams. If you haven’t been to Great Camp Sagamore, plan on returning Sunday for the 10 am 1/2 price guided tour of Great Camp Sagamore, the Alfred Vanderbilt estate www.greatcampsagamore.org
